“Look at Us, Teaming Up Again.” “Not a Team Up.”
Since I didn’t watch season 1 of Mistletoe Murders until it premiered on the Hallmark Channel, I rolled right into season 2 of this fun, seasonal murder mystery show. There was no slump here. The second season was just as fun as the first.
The first season introduced us to Emily (Sarah Drew), a Christmas shop owner with a secret past who is hiding out in a small town. Over the course of that first season, we watched her get to know her new neighbors, making friends along the way. One of those friends was Sam (Peter Mooney), the local detective. They worked together on three different murders that happened in the weeks leading up to Christmas while slowly being drawn together. Oh, and Sam’s daughter, Violet (Sierra Marilyn Riley) is Emily’s employee at the store.
Season two picks up with a scene right after the season one cliffhanger. But after that, we jump ahead a year. Violet is no longer employed by Emily, and Emily and Sam have hardly spoken in that time. But it’s Christmas, and unfortunately, there are about to be more murders in town. Up first, the English teacher and chess coach at the high school is murdered. Then, Sam’s ex-partner and mentor is killed. What does it have to do with the art show happening in the area? Finally, the new fine dining restaurant in town brings murder with it.
I think if I had to wait a year for season two, I would have been frustrated. They teased Emily’s backstory, but didn’t really tell us much about it. But since I rolled right into season two, I was okay with it. And we were rewarded here. Yes, I suspect that there is more to Emily’s backstory, but I am okay with the information we got in this season. It’s filled in some big gaps, and I appreciate that. That’s not to say we don’t get a massive cliffhanger. I need to know what happens next. It’s going to be a long wait to season 3. I just hope it gets renewed.
But that storyline in sprinkled into the six episodes we got for season two. Just like season 1, each mystery plot was given two episodes to unfold. And since we got two episodes each week, it was really more like we got three mystery movies.
Each mystery was well plotted with plenty of suspects and twists to keep us engaged. That kept me guessing until Emily figured things out at the end.
And we got more of the supporting characters, as well. I enjoyed seeing them again as much as the three leads. They help add to the charm of the series.
As does all the Christmas. While the plots aren’t as tied to the holiday as they were in the first season, we still got plenty of Christmas over the course of the season. It’s a perfect blend of Hallmark’s mystery and Christmas movies.
The actors also do a good job of bringing their characters to life. Even the over-the-top characters are grounded enough here to be entertaining and not obnoxious.
Overall, I found this season to have a low dose of Hallmark cheese, which is always nice.
Since I watched the two seasons back-to-back, I have to comment on something. I often notice a change between seasons of a TV show. That’s not the case here. The tone, the writing, the characters – everything stayed consistent between the two. So if you liked season 1, you’ll enjoy season 2 just as much.
Seriously, if Hallmark wants to give a gift to their fans, they’ll announce that season three of Mistletoe Murders is coming. If you are a fan of the channel, do give this show a try. You’ll quickly be hooked on these charming holiday mysteries.
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